Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is still a problem throughout the military battlespace and civilian manufacturing sectors. High performance hearing protection devices (HPDs) are available. However, HPDs do not reliably detect changes in noise levels that occur between conventional periodic noise monitoring events. Additionally, there are few means for evaluating the adequacy of a person's hearing protection, or for detecting and enforcing compliance with hearing conservation directives.
Knowledge of noise exposure in real-time or near real-time allows for intervention before a compliance issue arises and/or before hearing loss occurs. For example, if it were known that an individual is not wearing hearing protection or wearing it incorrectly, the reasons could be ascertained and the problem corrected. If it were known which HPDs are underperforming, then those devices could be replaced. If it were known that an individual has exceeded his or her safe daily noise exposure, then that individual could be moved to a quieter environment.